While most moms celebrated Mother’s Day with hugs, flowers, and cakes, Lelabeth Cabahug, a hardworking mom in Abu Dhabi, had a very different — but very special — kind of celebration.
She was alone, far away from her children in the Philippines, but her heart was full of love and pride. At 2 o’clock in the morning, she sat in her room, her phone glowing in the dark. She was watching a live video of her daughter’s college graduation — a moment she never wanted to miss, even if she was thousands of miles away.
A Hardworking Mom With a Big Dream
Lelabeth is 50 years old and comes from Zamboanga Sibugay in the Philippines. She works as a nanny in Abu Dhabi, taking care of other people’s kids so she can send money home for her own.
She’s a single mom with three children, and she has sacrificed everything to give them a better life. She left the Philippines in 2010, when her kids were still very small — only 9, 7, and 5 years old.
Why did she leave?
Because she wanted to help her family, especially after her husband started drinking, gambling, and being unfaithful. Eventually, she decided to end the marriage and raise her children on her own.
“I Was Crying Before It Even Started…”
On May 11, while the rest of the world was celebrating Mother’s Day, Lelabeth stayed awake to watch her second child, Micxz Heart Enanod, graduate with a degree in Nursing.
“I couldn’t sleep. I was crying even before the ceremony started,” Lelabeth said. “I felt like I was there with them because my eldest child streamed the graduation for me.”
Just a year earlier, her oldest child, Mark Dominic, graduated with a degree in Criminology. For Lelabeth, both these graduations are not just her kids’ success — they’re her own victories too.
Love That Never Stops — Even From Afar
Even though she is far away, Lelabeth always makes sure she’s present in her children’s lives.
She calls them all the time, sends them flowers, and makes them feel loved even from across the world.
She has worked many jobs in the Middle East — as a house helper, salon receptionist, and nanny — just to make sure her children could go to private colleges.
That’s something even parents who stay in the Philippines sometimes find hard to do!
“She’s Not Just Our Mom — She’s Our Hero”
Micxz, her daughter who just graduated, said her mom was always there — not physically, but emotionally and financially.
“She always supported me, comforted me, and gave me everything I needed,” Micxz said.
“This graduation is for her. I’m proud to say I’m the daughter of an OFW. All her sacrifices are worth it!”
Her youngest daughter, Jela Mae, who is now studying Pharmacy, also shared her story.
“When I was young, I used to ask myself if my mom really existed because she was never around. I only felt a parent’s love through my father,” she said.
But as she got older, she realized something important:
“If it was hard for us, it was even harder for her.”
Now, Jela sees her mom as a superhero without a cape — someone who gave up her own dreams so her children could have theirs.
The Real Meaning of Mother’s Day
For Lelabeth, this Mother’s Day didn’t have balloons or parties. But it had something even better:
Her daughter in a graduation cap and gown, smiling proudly, while her son held up the phone so their mom could be there — even if only on screen.
Lelabeth says all her strength came from one thing: faith in God and love for her children.
“My only weapon was my prayer,” she said. “They were always in my heart. That’s what kept me going.”
And now, with two college graduates and one more on the way, Lelabeth knows all her hard work was worth it.
She may be far from home, but in her children’s hearts, she is always right there — their mom, their hero, their forever cheerleader.
